Overview

"Much like Greek and Roman mythology, Norse myths are still with us. Famous storytellers from JRR Tolkien to Neil Gaiman have drawn their inspiration from the long-haired, mead-drinking, marauding and pillaging Vikings. Their creator is a thirteenth-century Icelandic chieftain by the name of Snorri Sturluson. Like Homer, Snorri was a bard, writing down and embellishing the folklore and pagan legends of medieval Scandinavia. Unlike Homer, Snorri was a man of the world a wily political power player, one of the richest men in Iceland who came close to ruling it, and even closer to betraying it In ""Song of the Vikings,"" award-winning author Nancy Marie Brown brings Snorri Sturluson s story to lifein a richly textured narrative that draws on newly available sources."""

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<p> For readers who've long sensed that older winds blow through the works of their beloved Tolkien, Song of the Vikings is a fitting refresher on Norse mythology. Without stripping these dark tales of their magic, Nancy Marie Brown shows how mere humans shape myths that resonate for centuries--and how one brilliant scoundrel became, for all time, the 'Homer of the North.' --Jeff Sypeck, author of Becoming Charlemagne <p> In medieval Iceland, one of the most remote corners of the known Earth, a very un-Viking Norseman named Snorri Storluson crafted the heroic mythology on which rests everything from Wagner's Ring cycle and the Brothers Grimm to Tolkein (who considered Snorri's work more central to English literature than Shakespeare's) and even the evils of Nazism. In Song of the Vikings, Nancy Marie Brown brings to vivid life this age of poetic Viking skalds, of blood feuds and vengeance raids, of royal intrigue and fierce independence, when the barren, beautiful landscape of the North was haunted by trolls, giants and dragons - all of which Snorri, the most important writer the world ever forgot, captured for eternity. --Scott Weidensaul, author of The First Frontier <p> With wry wit and graceful prose Nancy Marie Brown takes us back to medieval Iceland and introduces us to perhaps the greatest storyteller of the period, Snorri Sturluson. Her depth of knowledge of the era, the rugged landscape, the Vikings, and their lifestyle is impressive. - Pat Shipman, author of To the Heart of the Nile

<p> An important undertaking...The first English-language book published on Snorri in 30 years...Readers will feel affected by the loss of this powerful and complicated man. -- Kirkus Reviews <p> For readers who've long sensed that older winds blow through the works of their beloved Tolkien, Song of the Vikings is a fitting refresher on Norse mythology. Without stripping these dark tales of their magic, Nancy Marie Brown shows how mere humans shape myths that resonate for centuries--and how one brilliant scoundrel became, for all time, the 'Homer of the North.' --Jeff Sypeck, author of Becoming Charlemagne <p> In medieval Iceland, one of the most remote corners of the known Earth, a very un-Viking Norseman named Snorri Storluson crafted the heroic mythology on which rests everything from Wagner's Ring cycle and the Brothers Grimm to Tolkein (who considered Snorri's work more central to English literature than Shakespeare's) and even the evils of Nazism. In Song of the Vikings, Nancy Marie Brown brings to vivid life this age of poetic Viking skalds, of blood feuds and vengeance raids, of royal intrigue and fierce independence, when the barren, beautiful landscape of the North was haunted by trolls, giants and dragons - all of which Snorri, the most important writer the world ever forgot, captured for eternity. --Scott Weidensaul, author of The First Frontier <p> With wry wit and graceful prose Nancy Marie Brown takes us back to medieval Iceland and introduces us to perhaps the greatest storyteller of the period, Snorri Sturluson. Her depth of knowledge of the era, the rugged landscape, the Vikings, and their lifestyle is impressive. - Pat Shipman, author of To the Heart of the Nile <p> For lovers of Medieval history, Norse legend, and myth in general, Song of the Vikings is a must read. Nancy Marie Brown has transformed her extensive knowledge of thirteenth-century Iceland into an accessible and interesting book. Bravo! --Marilyn Yalom, author of Birth of

Author Information

NANCY MARIE BROWN is the author of highly-praised books of nonfiction, including The Abacus and the Cross and The Far Traveler. Her work has also appeared in Loquitor, News from Iceland, The Penn Stater, Spektur, and Vermont Magazine. She is fluent in Icelandic and has deep ties to the Scandanvian cultural institutions in the US, which will help promote the book. Formerly the editor of award-winning magazine Research/Penn State, Brown lives in Vermont, USA.

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